nmedia HTPC2000

Thanks for the quick review! That's exactly what I was waiting for before making my purchase. From the pictures it looked like the layout of the case would be friendly to putting everything together. Glad to hear that's true.

Looks like it's time for me to spend some money.

pics please.

i got it yesterday too.... its a really PITA if u are using a long video card, i puted in a 9800 GTX+ and i had to cut the HD bays, so this thing would fit , besides this its really good looking alot of space and its cold :P:P:P best case ever? i guess xD

i should get the lcd crap from newegg tomorrow, lets see how it works. the other thing is that if u put quiets fans in it u cant really tell that is on with out the lcd 20x2 thing. since there are no lights on the front. the power light is on when the system is of... and the hd light is a reallllly light red... Kind of cool looking case.

About the power light, do you have the pin on backwards?

Specs say 2 80mm exhaust fans, but you say 60? Who's right? I have the 200BA currently and the 60mm exhaust fans are really crap for airflow. I'll only get the 2000 case if it indeed has 80mm fans. Please confirm.

josh8 - Thanks for the write-up and photos. This case has recently attracted my attention too. But I have a few questions for you:

• In the HDD cage, the bottom four drives mount sideways, with the power/data cables of the left pair facing the power/data cables of the right pair, correct? And then the two other drives go into the upper shelves, right?
  
  
• For an ATX board with a bank of SATA ports facing horizontally off its rear edge, would there be room enough between those ports and the HDD cage for cables?
  
  
• What is the exact length of your HD 4850? Should any vid card equal to or shorter than an ATX board's width work in this case? On a vid card whose length equaled the width of the mobo--assuming it can fit--would there still be room enough to connect the card's power cable?
  
  
• To me it looks as if a longer than normal ATX-sized psu would fit in this case. True?

Thanks for the help!

i was thinking of 2 80mm fans too? Please confirm

According to the manual:
Standard Components Equipped
HTPC 2000 chassis
2 x 80mm silent case fan; 1 x 120mm silent HDD fan
Front connectors (onboard connectors required)
USB 2.0 x 3; IEEE 1394 x 1; HD or AC97 MIC & HeadPhone x 1
eSATA x 1; SDHC 2.0 compiance all in one card reader x 1
Tight cables, screws, installation guide

Hi, I received this case last week, and they rear fans are 80mm. The case is really nice. Got it from a seller on eBay, came out to $99 shipped with MS live.com cashback (then 30% now down to 25%). He picks them up right from nMedia. I haven't finished my built yet but will post some pics when I'm done.
I hope that helps someone sitting on the fence.

Klaus

I got my 2000B today along with the LCD from newegg. Really nice case. First time HTPC builder. I will post some pics as well after the installation.
There are 6 HDDs, 2 are on the same level of the optical drive. You install screws from the bottom to top. No rubber grommet.
4 HDDs are below that level with rubber grommet, connection ports are facing the center of the case. You connect cables there. Very intellegent design. This way, you can keep the case short, and not interfere with PCI device. Plus, you can stock all your extra cables under it. Make the interior look nice and neat.
I have to mention this, the case is 3 times prettier than the product pictures. Even newegg's picture did not reflect the beauty of the front panel. Once you tear off the plastic cover taht covers the middle bar, you have a totally different feel for the case.

Thanks for the additional details, zfa138. I'm surprised Silverstone hasn't used such a drive cage design, because they sure could use it! (I don't have a Silverstone case, but have read of people complaining about being unable to use all the HD bays in some of them because the drives would stick out over the mobo and interfere with something).

Btw, if you get the chance to measure this, I'd also like to know how much room there would be between the back edge of an ATX board and that hard drive cage. I have a hard time telling from josh8's photos.

My profile: First time HTPC builder.
Project: Converting my old PC into the HTPC 2000B case

Here are some pictures to share. This case is super easy to work on. Lot of space and smart design. I managed to finish the entire conversion in 20 minutes. It looks great.

HTPC 2000B front:

Out of the box look.

Taking off the film that covers the front bar.

Gorgeous looking.

External 3.5" & 5.25" Bay behind the top door
Front ports behind the lower door
Boths are easy flip down and close with magnetic part.

HD Audio ports, USB, e-SATA, 1394 and card reader.

Interior:

Take off the top cover. Two hand screws.

Take off the two screws that hold the optical rack. You can turn the rack up or like this, and all the cables are there. A lot of space to work on after you take the rack off. I install my mobo, connect the cables. Install hard drive, and optical drive. I left CPU & heatsink, memory onboard. Easy to move to here without any space issue. Save time too.

Here I am, ready to put the rack back.

Here is the beauty of the case. You can connect the hard drive cable and optical drive cable like this. After you slide back the rack. Man, all the cables become hidden under the rack. I like it so much.

After put back the two screws. I am done. Super easy. Nice and neat inside. Front port cables are clearly labeled. You cannot miss them if you know where the onboard ports are. Very smart design on the optical drive. Holds 6 hard drives. One can turn external. I don't really need that with all the built in front ports.
Everything is full height, no wiser card. A lot of ventilation holes all around. 2 80mm and 1 120mm fan. All case fans are super quiet. Sturdy, feels solid. This case really rocks.


Now, my next project is to wait for the holday sales to upgrade the motherboard to an ATX MSI 7411 Motherboard with 5.1 amplifier output card, and all the HDMI output. The LCD too. I guess.

I am totally enjoying the built and excited about the new MSI board.

Here is the info you are looking for, ZENOICUS, that is 10" long. But, you may need to sacrifice a hard drive if you really using that long of the video card. It is way beyond my board.

I received seceral emails about my picture not showing. Here they are.

Second parts. I may fix the links after the upload.
Thanks,

Picture not showing. Newbie.

Thanks for the pictures. Pretty much sold on the 2000B. Any thoughts on a IR receiver for that case? That is the one final thing that I am stumped on component wise for my HTPC (I'm not buying a TV tuner so bundled isn't a option).

I spent quiet some times on this issue. Here are my thoughts to share.
First, there is no IR receiver in the 2000B. And you have to start with what TV service that you will use. Why? The IR receiver is for remote or keyboard, right? And you have to link this answer to your TV service provider and front end software.
So, if you use DISH or Cable that gives you standalone set top box. But, you want to use the HTPC remote to control the TV, i.e. switching channel etc. That means you end up with one option ONLY, which is to buy the Microsoft MCE remote (they have keyboard too, but, bad reputation for the navigation controller) that gives you the transceiver function and IR blaster cable to learn IR code from set top box. And you have to use Microsoft MCE OS to achieve the goal. No third party front end will give you the same function.
And that product is an external USB version. Not built in. Even some cases claim it comes with IR receiver for Microsoft Remote (ANTEC etc..), but, that is for the remote only, no transceiver or IR blaster cable solution to learn IR code. So, you end up with regular remote function only. And it is IR signal (you have to deal with angel, pointing limitation etc.)
I am hearing Microsoft is enhancing their remote/transceiver solution (today all HTPC remote and front end supports antenna and cable only on TV) to support DISH without IR blaster (I doubt it, the set top and content broadcast is encrypted by the satellite company), just rumor, no updated info found so far.
So, if you are not using any DISH or set top box for your TV service, your choices are wide open. A lot of remote and receiver can fit the build; both IR and RF signal choice.
I am leaning toward the nMedia RF wireless keyboard and remote combo pack since I am not planning to use the DISH.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823202004
It uses only one external USB receiver that will give you control on both the keyboard and remote and they are both in RF signal and come with track ball.
And, I don't need a built in IR receiver. It uses RF signal, so, you just need to plug that USB receiver in the back of the case. Or just plug in the front.
If your budget allows, I heard Logitech has one universal remote (and using external USB receiver) to allow you to control HTPC and all A/V devices in your home theater set up. Not sure if it supports DISH set top box by learning the IR code. It cost around $200 above for just the remote. Again, it doesn't need built in IR receiver. Bottom line, in HTPC set up , I will prefer to use RF signal than the IR.


Please feel free to add your comments here on my found. I need feedback as well becasue I am planning to upgrade this system with the new MSI 7411 board and other componet. And I definitely need a workable solution for the remote and keybaord part. It is critical for me to sit on the couch and contol my HTPC.


Regards,

This is going to sound sort of complicated, but I'll try to be as concise as possible as to what I am looking for / my HTPC situation. For starters I am likely going to purchase the Logitech Harmony 880 remote to control my receiver, tv, cable set top, and ideally my HTPC. The nice thing about the Harmony is that it has a lot of expandability. It has a extensive downloadable content base & can learn remote functions if it is not available.

I'm not too keen on IR vs other technologies but for a all-in-one remote, IR is the only option for me. So for this, I am trying to find just a IR receiver that I can connect to my computer and use the Logitech to control it. I'd like the receiver to be smaller, as I could cut out a hole in the case and mount the IR port inside and run the usb header inside. I think I might have to purchase a IR / remote combo and just toss the remote afterward.

As for the TV tuner, I don't want one for my HTPC yet as I watch about 90% of my TV in HD (we have about 60 channel on my cable provider). Recording to SDTV is not really worth it to me.

zfa138 I have a few questions about the case that I can't seem to find. If you could help that would be great. Is that an external 3.5 bay to the left of the 5.25 DVD bay (I know it is listed as an HDD bay)? Also, since the case does not come with the LCD screen, what is there instead? What does the mount for the LCD look like? If you could snap a picture of behind the LCD (or try and answer my question below).

evomac to partially chime in on what you are trying to do: I'm thinking about using this IR receiver: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811999191 . It fits in a 3.5 bay. The only problem is that the 3.5 bay on the 2000b (if it is one) is covered by the panel. I was hoping I could remove the IR pcb from the 3.5 housing and mount it in the case where the LCD should be.

Do you think this will work? If I can use this IR receiver then I can plug it into the power switch on my motherboard and power on by remote.

Yes, as long as you are not concerning the TV, your choices are wide open. I like the Harmony as well but I have limit budget on my build.
In that case, you do need the IR receiver or the Harmony RF wireless extender. But, it only works for the 890 & 1000 model according to their website.

Yes, there is a external 3.5" bay available in the middle but it is behind door. It can be a HDD bay if you don't use that bay.
It has a LCD window, and covers with a black thick tape from inside the case. See picture.
screw hole

Thanks for the picture! I think I could modify the IR receiver and install it there with some minor fabrication. I also plan on using a Harmony 880 remote with the receiver I posted earlier.

I'm going to do a whole writeup on setting this case up with XBMC under ubuntu so I'll post the link when all is done (december/january).

For my install, the HTPC is in the lower left of my AV Rack. Putting an IR receiver in there might be a problem getting all the IR commands. I ended up using the standard MCE USB IR and put the receiver in the middle below the TV. This way it doesn't miss any IR commands. Also I couldn't use that port because I bought the nmedia lcd module.
I had a harmony 880 but now I'm using the harmony one to control it all and I'm also using XBMC but in Windows.

I already have the MCE remote/receiver so if all else fails... My problem is I want it to be able to power on by remote, and the MCE is usb so it can't do that (I'm almost positive).

Whatchu' talkin' 'bout?! MCE remote can power it on from S3 standy.